Ant on wheel

 

It’s like returning to the Ant Farms of our childhood as we turn to the fifth important animal trait for future-proofing your agency.

One reason ants are inspirational is their characteristic of working in a highly coordinated fashion.

They modify their habitat and adapt to environmental changes; they utilize available resources and deploy division of labor to do so.

Our Infographic, 8 Animal Traits You Need to Future Proof your Agency, recognizes ants as Curators and Contractors.

In their work, ants “curate”, collecting materials they need from their surroundings to build their nests.

They also “contract” by dividing the labor of colony building into tasks with groups of ants assigned to specific functions.

These are abilities the successful Agencies of the Future will embody.  As an industry, advertising is truly undergoing massive environmental changes.

Instead of nest building as ants do, we build brands, and the “materials” to accomplish this are changing and expanding rapidly.

Pile of ants

These changes call for expertise that may not always be in-house.

Fortunately, bringing in strategic partners who provide the specialized know-how your client needs is acceptable to Marketers.

In our recent survey, 70% of Marketers say they are agreeable to their agencies using outside resources to support their brand strategy, particularly if doing so:

  • Provides true expertise the agency itself does not have in-house.
  • Generates stronger ROI, through a combination of cost management and higher revenues.

 

Remember though:

  • The key to “exploiting resources” as an agency relies on strong strategic partnerships that are genuine, substantive and proven.
  • Make sure your partnerships add value.

 

Be a curator as well as a contractor of resources that will benefit your clients as you work.

BE THE ANT.

Mark is a 30-year veteran of the consumer packaged goods, advertising, and marketing service industry. Mark started his career at DDB Needham in Chicago prior to earning his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Business School at Northwestern where he majored in Marketing and Economics. Prior to starting RSW/US in 2005, Mark was General Manager for AcuPOLL, a global research consultancy. Sneider worked in Marketing for S.C. Johnson and KAO Brands. Sneider has been invited to speak at numerous Agency events and network conferences domestically and internationally including the 4A’s, Magnet, NAMA, TAAN, and MCAN. Sneider has been featured in prominent industry publications including Adweek, Media Post, e-Marketer, and Forbes. When not working (which often seems like not often), Mark likes to run miles, go to church, and just chill with a hard copy issue of Fast Company.